


Kit-Kats and Joints

by whoviee



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Doyoung is Jaehyun's neighbour, Fluff and Angst, Kinda Crack, M/M, Recreational Drug Use, Underage Drug Use, but underneath they're both really soft, they think they're so cool
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-10
Updated: 2019-09-07
Packaged: 2019-10-07 21:01:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 11,898
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17373236
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whoviee/pseuds/whoviee
Summary: Wherein Jaehyun and Taeyong have a long-standing rivalry of seeing who can violate more terms of the dress code by day, and get high together behind the slide in the playground by night.





	1. Chapter 1

“What is it today, a choker?”

Taeyong nodded his head solemnly from where he stood at his desk. Mr. Seo let out a disbelieving sigh and gestured for him to sit, which he did, but not without a triumphant smile.

“And you, Jaehyun? What is your fashion statement today?” Mr. Seo turned his resigned gaze to Jaehyun, who was a few desks behind Taeyong.

“Earrings, I see,” The teacher acknowledged, followed by another disbelieving sigh. Jaehyun smirked. It was only the first lesson of the day, so the English teacher deemed it too early to deal with this bullshit.

“Well, let’s not waste class time on your, um, questionable taste in accessories.” A few laughs sounded, but they did nothing to break the unadulterated determination in Jaehyun and Taeyong’s features.

“Open page 43 of the textbook, we’re doing descriptive writing today.” Mr. Seo announced, and the lesson commenced.

^^

Taeyong scanned his surroundings before slipping into his sanctuary. Creviced between one of the computer labs and a staircase, it had been his own little hideout to bunk PE ever since middle school. Only he, the residual dust from the numerous cleanings of the basement, and a stray mop knew of this nook, and it he was perfectly content with that. Until, of course, an invader in the form of one Jung Jaehyun acquainted himself with it.

Quietly, the intruder settled himself against one of the three brick walls and sighed in relief. He crossed his legs uncomfortably over one another, rivaling Taeyong’s pose of having pulled his knees up to his chest and sitting.

“Did you get the loot?” Taeyong demanded from opposite him. They were slightly cramped, so when Jaehyun turned to search his pockets for the ‘loot’, his knees brushed against Taeyong’s.

With a small ‘aha’, Jaehyun revealed four mini Kit-Kats from his school-issued track pants’ pocket.

After three intense rounds of rock-paper-scissors, Taeyong took three of the chocolates for himself. Jaehyun pouted at his loss in a last resort to coax one of the Kit-Kats from Taeyong, to which the other replied with a simple roll of eyes.

A few minutes of consuming chocolate in contemplative silence passed, and Jaehyun let his head fall back against the wall he was seated at. “So, who do you think wins today?”

“I’d say me,” Taeyong replied, scrunching up two red wrappers and shoving them in his pocket.

“Seo definitely understood the connotations behind this.” He gestured to the fabric bound around his neck.

“That’s.. Okay, fair enough,” His opponent shrugged, eyeing the last Kit-Kat, which was oh so conveniently placed on the dirty expanse of floor between them.

“Don’t even think about it, Jung.”

Jaehyun huffed and trained his dejected gaze onto his poor-quality track pants, picking at the lint forming somewhere above his knee.

“So,” He spoke after more silence ensued. “How was your day?”

“Pretty shit,” Taeyong replied, adjusting himself into a more open, cross-legged position. “Maths was fun, though.”

“I can’t understand what you like so much about numbers.”

“It’s not only numbers, Jaehyunnie! It’s also letters and shapes and-”

“Yeah, nope. Still don’t get it,” Jaehyun dismissed.

Taeyong sighed. After more quietness, he suddenly perked up with a smile across his face. Jaehyun felt a smile of his own tug at his lips, but he steadfastly ignored it.

“Do you know the Fibonacci sequence?”

Jaehyun shook his head.

“So, it’s a series, like a pattern of sorts, where you form numbers by adding up the ones that preceed it,” Taeyong explained.

“Okay..” Jaehyun hesitantly let out.

“So the sequence starts from zero and one. When you add them, you get one. Now, following the rule, we’ll add one and the number that preceded it, which was also one. One plus one gives two. Keep adding. Two plus one gives three. Three plus two gives five. Five plus three gives eight, and so on and so forth.” By the end of his little monologue, Taeyong had a visible gleam in his eyes. Jaehyun wondered if it was from the small amount of sunlight an opening overhead provided, or if it was something else.

“Cool,” He monotonously replied. “What’s so great about this sequence?”

“I’m glad you asked, see-”

Taeyong was cut off by Jaehyun’s abrupt laughter, which only grew at the sight of his confused face.

“I’m sorry, you just,” He paused to take a breath and control his laughter. “You sounded so much like Smeeta.”

“What? Does it look like I’m teaching the ill-effects of smoking?” Taeyong referred to one of their class’ unfavourable encounters with a substitute teacher, Ms. Smita, who’d been dubbed ‘Smeeta’ due to a student’s unfortunate pronunciation.

“You just-” Jaehyun began laughing again, and this time Taeyong joined in, unable to hold it in anymore. He sighed before continuing, “You sounded so much like her.” Jaehyun repeated for emphasis. “Remember when that kid asked her about sex? That’s exactly how she started explaining.”

Their mirth died down eventually, with either of them breaking into sporadic bouts of laughter. When they were reduced to matching grins, Taeyong continued.

“As I was saying, this sequence leads to the Fibonacci spiral, which is supposedly found in nature’s most aesthetic aspects.”

“Supposedly?” Jaehyun raised an eyebrow.

“Yeah, I haven’t found it in my face yet, so we’re going with supposedly.” Taeyong shrugged.

The look on Jaehyun’s face resembled something along the lines of ‘the audacity of this bitch’, which Taeyong very helpfully pointed out.

“What do you think of yourself, Lee Taeyong?”

“Why? Do you not think I’m one of nature’s more pleasing aspects?” The boy in question flashed him a fleeting smirk before rising from his position, coinciding with the school bell that indicated the end of PE.

“You really aren’t,” Jaehyun insisted to the now-bare brick wall in front of him.

“You can say that to my face, tonight,” Taeyong called out as he began to walk away.

“The usual?” Jaehyun asked as he followed suit, getting up and dusting off his legs.

“See you.”

The remaining Kit-Kat on the floor didn’t go unnoticed by Jaehyun.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> there is drug use in this chapter. i don't condone it!! please don't do drugs!!  
> also i have zero experience with being high,, or making out,, so like, if this is unrealistic i'm sorry!!

Jaehyun sneaked out of his room easily enough, leaving the window he escaped from slightly open for him to return to. He assumed there was supposed to be some sort of balcony where he was standing, on a large ledge that passed for his windowsill. He grabbed onto an iron bar spread longitudinally over the adjacent room’s window, placed intentionally to prevent a person from breaking in. The hard part was climbing down the iron grills and not making a sound. While these grills served their purpose of not letting an intruder  _in_ the villa, they did little from stopping someone getting  _out_ of the villa. In fact, Jaehyun mused, they contributed to his efforts. He smiled at the irony of it. Making his way down the horizontal grills - which resembled the bars of a jail - he stealthily leapt from the fourth-last one, scrunching some grass under his feet as he landed.

He walked slowly to his destination, across the lavish lawn and towards the playground. He checked his surroundings for good measure, knowing that despite the late hour, there could be the occasional night owl aimlessly wandering. When he decided the coast was clear, he settled comfortably under a red slide in the playground, back against the ladder-staircase that the slide was against.

Dubbed as the ‘big slide’, there was nothing really remarkable about it. It was just broader and taller than the other slides the children had seen at their private schools’ swing sets. The only thing good about it was the cover it provided due to its width. Two people could easily fit under it, and thus it became a popular spot for gossip sessions for the kids, and make out sessions for the teenagers. It was also perfect for Jaehyun and Taeyong’s post-midnight adventures.

After a few minutes of waiting, Jaehyun heard sure footsteps over the synthetic floor of the playground. Taeyong sat next to Jaehyun, catching his breath.

“Took you long enough,” Jaehyun huffed.

Taeyong just rolled his eyes and held out his hand. Jaehyun sighed and handed him one of the joints he’d been carrying, taking the other for himself. They lit them in silence, taking a few drags each before relaxing against each other.

Eventually, Jaehyun broke the silence. “I got your Kit-Kat.”

Taeyong hummed in acknowledgement, then let out an exhale of smoke.

“Why’d you leave it?” Jaehyun questioned, leaning his head on Taeyong’s shoulder.

“Peace offering,” Taeyong shrugged, then let his head fall against Jaehyun’s.

“What for?”

Taeyong shrugged again. Their seating arrangement was slightly uncomfortable: they both had their knees drawn up to their chests, Jaehyun slouching slightly to rest himself on Taeyong’s shoulder, while the other sat upright enough to lean his head on Jaehyun’s.

Once the high started to kick in, Taeyong pulled out a sheet of paper from his hoodie pocket. Because of its constant folding and unfolding, the paper had been worn-down, and the crease where it had been folded showed the signs of tearing soon.

After scanning the names written on it, he took out a pen and crossed out a particular name.

“Who is it today?” Jaehyun didn’t look up as he asked, and Taeyong silently folded the sheet and put it back.

“Pythogas.”

“Like the triangle guy?”

Taeyong hummed, taking another drag, prompting Jaehyun to do the same.

“What about him?”

“He came up with deductive reasoning, y’know, two plus two is equal to four kinda shit.” Taeyong started off, and Jaehyun nodded along.

“So like, congruence of triangles, right?”

“Right.”

“You can prove that shit because of deductive reasoning, like, I know these triangles are congruent because their corresponding sides are equal. That kinda thing.”

“Cool,” Jaehyun hummed, letting out a trail of smoke into the atmosphere. “He sounds like, hardcore. I bet all the philosophy people have Pythagoras shrines.”

“Yeah,” Taeyong smiled unconsciously. “I bet they all had a Phytagoras phase when they were teens.”

Jaehyun snorted.

They smoked in relative silence, until Taeyong’s hand found his.

“Tell me more about Pythagoras,” Jaehyun prompted.

“He has like, an entire tuning named after him. What a talented queen.” Taeyong began slurring his words slightly, which always made Jaehyun giggle.

“Do you think there’d be fan accounts about him? If he existed in our time, I mean.. he’d have like, a cult or some shit.”

“I think he had a cult back then also.. the Pythagoreans or something.” Taeyong’s cheeks were hurting by how widely he’d been smiling that entire time.

“Cool cool…” Jaehyun trailed off, taking a long drag and absentmindedly playing with Taeyong’s fingers. More silence elapsed. They stared off into the distance - or however far they could see without a large, red obstruction blocking their view - with twin dazed looks on their faces, only accompanied by the occasional bout of hysterical laughter.

“I’m done,” Taeyong announced after a while, dramatically letting his head fall back until it hit cool metal. Jaehyun laughed at him.

“Do you ever think…” He started, emphasising each word with a hand gesture.

“Do I?” Jaehyun wondered out loud, and a contemplative look over took both their features.

“I don’t know, do you?” Taeyong asked with genuine concern, adjusting himself to face Jaehyun.

“I don’t know,” He answered in complete seriousness. Taeyong shrugged back.

They didn’t speak again until Jaehyun was done, after which they high-fived. And missed. Taeyong fell onto Jaehyun as he giggled, and this was when it usually began. First is was the near sober silence, wherein they both just stared at each other, then the making out.

Always innocently, Jaehyun pressed his hesitant lips against Taeyong’s. He bought his hands up to rest on Taeyong’s shoulders, pushing forward slightly. With confidence, Taeyong pushed back, making their lips crash with force. He rested his hands on Jaehyun’s hips, and they stayed like that, kissing awkwardly, until Jaehyun pulled back. Taeyong chased his lips, capturing them again, and they kissed a bit more until Jaehyun pulled back, for a second time.

“Wait,” Jaehyun said breathlessly, so Taeyong did. He watched Jaehyun sit cross legged, back against the slide’s ladder-staircase, and beckon him over. Taeyong complied, crawling over and sitting in front of him. Their faces were centimetres apart, and with the barest nod from Jaehyun, they were kissing again. This time it was more tongue, teeth, and saliva. Their positions reversed, with Jaehyun’s hands on Taeyong’s waist and Taeyong’s around his neck. Jaehyun didn’t know how long they kept it up, only that they stopped once he bit down a bit too harshly on Taeyong’s lower lip.

“Stop,” Taeyong pulled away and climbed out of Jaehyun’s lap, somehow having ended up there. “I need at least three hours of sleep.” He explained before he got up, tugging Jaehyun along by their joined hands.

They stumbled back to Jaehyun’s villa, consciously trying to keep their voices low as they giggled at things like a malfunctioning sprinkler and a squirrel that ran across their path. Taeyong bid goodnight to Jaehyun with puffy eyes and a wide smile, which he reciprocated.


	3. Chapter 3

Usually, it was Mondays people despised. For Johnny Seo though, it was Tuesdays. Tuesdays were the days he had an hour of English with his tenth grade class, out of which a good fifteen minutes would always, undeniably be wasted in evaluating his students’ poor fashion choices. And if that wasn’t bad enough, an unhealthy competition had sprung between Lee Taeyong and Jung Jaehyun, one which, if continued, would definitely ensue in some form of unneeded tension. The exact nature of this tension Johnny did not want to know, but his best guess would be something less along the lines of contempt and more along the lines of mutual respect. Or so he hoped. With these thoughts - not unwelcome, just unnecessary - he entered the dreaded classroom. An expectant silence followed. From his side, it was in vain hope of the students having some decency to wish him a good morning. From their side, though, it was in anticipation for his inevitable criticism.

“Good morning, class,” Johnny attempted. A monotonous echo followed. He sighed. His eyes surveyed the class, landing on his first, for lack of better words, target.

“Jaehyun, I was unaware of today’s theme. Am I also expected to dress like I make a living from dealing low-quality, grow-in-your-basement kind marijuana?” Through Johnny’s limited knowledge of, as Ten would put it, ‘Gen-Z lingo’, his students would call this a ‘roast’, or a ‘burn’. He felt triumphant in the varied reactions of ‘Ooooh’s he had elicited. Jung Jaehyun did not look so impressed, though.

“Nothing if the sort, sir.” He nonchalantly spoke.

“Well then, my apologies for getting carried away with my stereotyping,” Johnny smiled at him, and even he wasn’t sure whether it was sarcastic or not. Jaehyun saluted back, with a little ‘no problem, sir’, and the movement caused an obnoxious click of one of his gold chains against the other.

“Don’t look so smug, Taeyong,” He slowly turned his gaze from Jaehyun’s offending jewellery to Taeyong. “Your inept mountain climbing get-up isn’t much better.”

The only response Johnny got to that was Taeyong purposely plucking at the length of leather fastened over his shoulder, pulling at it and letting it slap back against him with a resounding thwack. Of course, this had to be complimented with a challenging raise of one eyebrow.

Johnny felt like he deserved the suffering sigh he let out.

^^

“Do you think I went a bit far with the harness?” Taeyong asked Jaehyun in the sanctuary of their hideout, with four, shiny Kit-Kats in the little space between them.

“I don’t,” Jaehyun shrugged, picking one of the abandoned chocolates. “But Seo didn’t take it very well.”

Taeyong hummed, nibbling at a Kit-Kat, his eyes lost somewhere above Jaehyun’s head. “His problem, not mine.”

“Yeah,” Jaehyun nodded while impulsively tearing apart a used wrapper. First into half, then half of that, then half of that half.

Taeyong watched his hands work with some unknown intensity. “Do you ever wonder why he doesn’t even scold us?”

“I don’t know. We’re definitely in wrong uniform.”

“No shit, Sherlock.”

They didn’t speak for a while, maybe pondering over their English teacher’s partiality, maybe not.

“Maybe he likes us?” Jaehyun ventured, after finishing his second Kit-Kat.

“Could be,” Taeyong nodded back, contemplating. “Or maybe we’re his only refuge in this monotony he calls his job.”

“Could be.”

Taeyong cracked a smile.

“You don’t have to be so cynical all the time,” Jaehyun added on.

“Do you know what that means? Or are you using it only because you think it’s contextually correct?”

At Jaehyun’s look of faux-appall, Taeyong prodded further, “Do you know what it means, Jaehyun?”

“I-”

“You don’t,” He triumphantly decided. Jaehyun pouted, aiming for more angry than cute, but achieved only the latter. He only realised, though, when Taeyong sarcastically cooed at him.

“I can tell you about the Cynics,” Taeyong offered, looking much more smug than he should have.

It was quite the challenge for Jaehyun to swallow his pride. After all, it wasn’t expected of pro-basketballer and confident, clear-skinned Jung Jaehyun to abdicate to anyone. Then again, Taeyong wasn’t anyone. He was Jaehyun’s unconventional maybe best friend. Or something like that. He hadn’t really thought about it.

For Taeyong, it wasn’t much of a surprise when Jaehyun relented. He knew he held some probably unhealthy power over Jaehyun. It wasn’t exactly like having him wrapped around his little finger, but exactly like that.

“Cynicism is a Greek school of thought-”

“Yeah, I’m good,” Jaehyun cut him off with a dismissive wave of his hand. “Let’s talk about something else.”

“Like what, Seo’s ‘fashion evaluations’?”

“How’s your mother?”

“Fuck off.”

Maybe Jaehyun also held power over Taeyong. He knew too much.

“Well?” Jaehyun prompted, clearly satisfied with himself.

“The usual. I don’t think she’s seen my face in a week. How’s your father?” Taeyong didn’t look at him as he spoke.

“He broke a vase yesterday. That was the last I heard of him,” Jaehyun shrugged, a sardonic half-smile on his lips.

Taeyong nodded along in sarcastic solemnity.

They spent the rest of PE in silence, Taeyong observing the stray lint on his track pants and Jaehyun observing Taeyong through his lashes. He wondered if Taeyong noticed.

“Playground tonight?” Their silence was broken by the too-loud bell signaling the end of PE and Taeyong’s unexpected words.

“I don’t have anything to offer today,” Jaehyun said when Taeyong got up. He dusted himself off and smirked at Jaehyun.

“Bring yourself.”

“What is that supposed to mean?” Jaehyun called out to his retreating figure. Maybe Taeyong did notice.

Sighing, Jaehyun picked up the remaining Kit-Kat. 

^^

It wasn’t much of challenge to get out of his house. Taeyong would just take a set of keys with him and waltz out the front door, down the stairs, and out he was. Maybe it was because he lived in a gated community, his mother would let him go out whenever he wanted. Or maybe it was because she was never in a right state of mind to even regard Taeyong’s whereabouts. How she managed herself was beyond him. But somewhere deep down, Taeyong knew his mother always pulled through. She was much stronger than she seemed. This, of course, did nothing to change her carelessness over Taeyong.

Taeyong could see a metropolitan skyline from his kitchen’s little window. He was about to debate his mortality and the importance of his existence to the world of the living before he remembered why he was staring out into an urban forest. He shifted his focus to the fridge, rummaging through two-day old leftovers and fungus-infested bread. Once he found what he was looking for, he checked the expiry date. Just a couple of months over. Jaehyun wouldn’t mind, right? Taeyong idly wondered.

He glanced at the analogue clock in the kitchen before he left. Sixteen minutes past eleven.

^^

“Hello.”

“Hi,” Taeyong greeted Jaehyun as he sat beside him behind the red slide. “I got us something.”

He placed the bag of M&Ms in the minimal space between them. “They’re expired.”

“It’s fine,” Jaehyun tore open the packet and began to eat a couple.

“Did you have dinner?” Taeyong joked at the rate of Jaehyun’s consumption.

“What would you say if I didn’t?”

“Probably nothing of remote substance.”

“Then I did.”

Taeyong glared at him, and Jaehyun laughed in response.

Obnoxious munching and the occasional cricket was all they heard for the next few minutes, until Taeyong decided they were being too boring.

“Let’s go on the swings,” He dragged Jaehyun up, who was helplessly clinging on to the M&Ms packet.

“My dinner!” Jaehyun whined in protest, picking up the precious plastic packet. He stumbled, following Taeyong to the set of swings. They sat on adjacent swings, rocking back and forth as they shared the chocolate.

“Will you stop hogging it? I got it for both of us,” Taeyong said while stuffing a handful of the chocolate orbs in his mouth.

“But it’s my dinner!” Again, Jaehyun whined, clutching them to his chest.

“Fine then. Enjoy your diabetes-causing delicacies.”

Jaehyun laughed, so Taeyong laughed with him. Eventually, Jaehyun did feel bad, so he offered the remaining half or so M&Ms to Taeyong, who refused. At his raised eyebrows, Taeyong simply said, “You didn’t have dinner.”

Jaehyun blushed.

A while later, the M&Ms were over and they were both staring out into the distance.

“Do you know Yuta?” Taeyong suddenly asked.

“The Japanese guy?”

“Yeah,” Taeyong nodded and turned to Jaehyun.

“I do,” Jaehyun looked back.

“He’s having a party or something on Saturday… are you free?”

“I mean, I guess,” He shrugged.

“Cool. We’ll go together.”

“Okay.”

They returned to staring off. This time, though, Jaehyun was confused. He knew how he knew Yuta, they were both sportspeople, they saw each other often enough. How Taeyong knew Yuta, that was a bit of mystery. Deciding it wasn’t worth dwelling on, Jaehyun dismissed the thought. He wondered why it plagued him after he had bid good morning to Taeyong, when he was under his cold sheets, trying to sleep, even if it was for less than a handful of hours.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry about the wait, to anyone's who's reading. Life's been a bit hectic lately, but hopefully I'll have more time to write soon! Please let me know if you enjoyed this chapter!! Come talk to me!!  
> [ twt ](https://twitter.com/jaehyunphilic)  
> [ cc ](https://curiouscat.me/whoviee)


	4. Chapter 4

“Stop hovering,” Taeyong pulled Jaehyun along into Yuta’s house, a large bungalow of modern architecture. Yuta had greeted them at his front door, gesturing for them to follow him up the stairs.

Yuta was, in simple words, a rich kid. His house was a compact mansion with tasteful art installations and a grand, winding staircase. Upstairs, there were only a few rooms, presumably the family’s, and a kitchenette.

Yuta lead them down the hall to very last room, opening the door to reveal what he later described as his ‘TV Room’. There were bean bags scattered around on his carpeted floor, and a simple bed sheet-covered mattress in the middle of the room. At one end was a huge television which almost covered the entire expanse of the wall it was against, and on the floor beside it was an expensive-looking sound system. But even that wasn’t the most notable thing - it was that only one other person was invited to this ‘party’.

“Jaehyun, I don’t think you’ve met Sicheng,” Yuta spoke, settelling beside who Jaehyun guessed was Sicheng, who was sitting on the mattress.

He seemed petite, fair-skinned and lean, with a build similar to Yuta’s. He had a mop of chestnut hair, which was horribly unkempt, and fell just by his pointed ears. He looked innocent in a devilish way.

Sicheng waved at him and mustered a short, shy, ‘hi’ before ducking his head slightly. Jaehyun smiled back, slightly fakely, and responded with a ‘hi’ of his own.

Taeyong kicked off his shoes and plopped on Yuta’s unoccupied side, crossing his legs, letting out a small ‘oof’ as he rested his head on Yuta’s shoulder. Jaehyun took off his shoes more carefully and sat next to Taeyong, eyes downcast. No one spoke for a while.

“So Jaehyun.. how do you know Taeyong?” It was Yuta who broke the silence, shrugging Taeyong’s head off his shoulder. Taeyong pouted at him, but didn’t protest.

“We, uh, live nearby,” Jaehyun answered, unsure. One of Yuta’s eyebrows arched high.

“We get high together,” Taeyong clarified, and the outstanding eyebrow reclaimed its original place.

“Well that’s not healthy,” Sicheng snorted. Jaehyun looked over at him, surprised to find one of his hands loosely entangled with Yuta’s. He didn’t think much of it.

“How do you know Taeyong?” He asked, intending to start conversation.

“We’ve known each other for like, the longest time,” Yuta started off, facing Jaehyun. “Our parents are good friends. And conveniently for them, we’re the same age, so we were always dumped together during their get-togethers. We grew close.”

“Understatement,” Taeyong interrupted. “Yuta and I were each other’s first kiss. It was terrible, let me tell you.” He stopped, and his lips curled at how Yuta held Sicheng’s hand in a tight, reassuring grip. He met Jaehyun’s gaze. “Don’t worry, I don’t like him.”

Jaehyun spluttered unattractively, which made Taeyong laugh. 

“You’re so easy to rile up, Jaehyun.” He said once his momentary laughing fit ceased. “So cute.”

Jaehyun blushed and looked away, which prompted Taeyong to laugh more.

“This is boring,” Yuta declared after a short silence. “Let’s play a game.”

He got up and walked to the speakers, taking out his phone from the pocket of his purple hoodie, which read ‘SEXUAL FANTASIES’ in capitalised red letters across his chest. Jaehyun wondered where he’d seen it before. He turned the speakers on and plugged his phone in, and soon enough, a hard, minimal, bass-heavy beat reverberated against the diaphragm of the speaker. Yuta lowered the volume considerably, leaving the music as background noise.

He skipped back and sat cross-legged opposite Sicheng, holding a hand out for him to take. Sicheng took it, and Yuta held out his other had towards Jaehyun, who also took it, albeit a bit hesitantly. Yuta gestured for them to complete the circle, so they both took a hand of Taeyong’s each.

“Okay, Jaehyun,” Yuta began. “Truth or dare?”

^^

They were four rounds in and Taeyong hadn’t let go of his hand. Jaehyun didn’t want to know what it meant, considering Yuta had let go of his other one.

“Truth or dare, Yuta?” Sicheng asked.

“Dare.”

“Kiss the prettiest person in the room.”

Yuta smiled stupidly, making Jaehyun wonder what he was going to do, desperately hoping Yuta didn’t find him attractive.

It seemed he didn’t have to worry about that at all, considering Yuta surged forwards and caught Sicheng’s lips in what Jaehyun would describe as an aggressive lip-lock. Sicheng responded enthusiastically.

Jaehyun turned to Taeyong in favor of staring at the preoccupied pair, only to find him looking at their joint hands.

“Do you want me to let go?” Jaehyun didn’t know what made him say that, nor did he want to.

“Not really,” Taeyong looked up at him and held his eyes with his own. 

For some inexplicable reason, Jaehyun shifted closer until their knees were touching and they were facing each other. Taeyong’s observance had only increased in intensity, his eyes not leaving Jaehyun’s even once. When Taeyong did spare Jaehyun from his gaze, it landed at his slightly-parted lips. He took a shaky breath and leaned forward, and Jaehyun didn’t move. Taking initiative, Taeyong pressed further, til their noses barely brushed against each other. Jaehyun let his eyes fall shut in anticipation. He felt Taeyong’s lips against his, there but not quite, and if-

“For the record, I don’t want- oh.”

At the sound of the door opening and a familiar voice, Jaehyun and Taeyong separated at the speed of light, putting a good metre or so of space between them. Pink hued Taeyong’s cheeks while Jaehyun’s ears blushed red. Neither of them dared to face the source of the voice or each other.

Yuta and Sicheng, who had been otherwise busy, leaned comfortably against one another, smirking like they knew something the other two didn’t. As they vehemently denied the existence of the person at the door, Yuta and Sicheng smiled up at him.

It was Jaehyun who finally spoke up, after reverting his eyes and gulping nervously. “Mr. Seo? What are you doing here?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was shorter than usual, sorry.  
> Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter!  
> [ twt ](https://twitter.com/jaehyunphilic)  
> [ cc ](https://curiouscat.me/whoviee)


	5. Chapter 5

Johnny hadn’t intended to find a job and stay with his stepfather. He was only supposed to be there for the remainder of his internship and return to Chicago, after which he could hopefully go to Thailand. Alas, all these hopes and dreams were shot down when a sudden job offer of an English teacher for his stepbrother’s school came up. Having just finished his internship in teaching literature, this was pretty promising to build his resume. So after some discussions (arguments) with Ten, he’d decided on staying another year with his stepfather. Which meant staying with his stepbrother, too. Which meant being stuck with chaperoning duty when he decided to call his friends over. He took a bowl of popcorn with him as he climbed up the stairs to the TV room. 

Opening the door, Johnny made his presence known. “For the record, I don’t want - oh.”

He had meant to sit on one of the beanbags at the back of the room and text Ten, or listen to music, but once he entered the room, there were a few noteworthy things that captured his attention.

The first, there were only a handful of people at Yuta’s ‘party’. Four, to be exact. Second, his stepbrother and his stepbrother’s boyfriend were definitely kissing. Third, the two other people in the room were not too far from that; and fourth, he unfortunately knew these two people.

At his entrance, said people backed away from each other at an impressive speed, and Yuta and Sicheng stopped doing whatever they were so preoccupied with. It was one of the people he unfortunately knew who spoke up.

“Mr. Seo? What are you doing here?” One Jung Jaehyun asked him. One Jung Jaehyun, of whom he had had enough of at school, was now invading his home. What’s worse was that he was with his partner in crime, Lee Taeyong.

“I live here, Jaehyun,” Johnny managed to deadpan through his shock.

Jaehyun helplessly looked at Yuta, who smirked back at him, and then at Taeyong, who didn’t even acknowledge him.

“Johnny is his stepbrother,” Sicheng soothed Jaehyun’s confusion. He let out an ‘ah’ of understanding, nodding, regardless of how many questions he still had.

I.. uh, I’m gonna leave you to it then,” Johnny told them, already halfway out the door. “Have fun!”

“He’ll be back in a minute, just you wait,” Yuta said. He heaved himself off the floor, getting up to drag a beanbag close. He plopped down on it, legs spread apart, beckoning Sicheng over, who settled on his lap with a slightly bashful smile.

An uncomfortable silence encapsulated the room. Jaehyun awkwardly cleared his throat, his wandering gaze landing on Taeyong, who impassively stared ahead at the blank screen of the TV.

True to Yuta’s words, Johnny did come back, walking in with a crestfallen expression. “Dad said I couldn’t leave you alone.”

Yuta snorted. Johnny glared at him, then spoke. “Let’s cut a deal.” At no opposition, he carried on. “I’ll let you be, Ten and I awake at the same time and I don’t want to pass this up. Just don’t make much noise, okay?”

“Cool.”

Johnny nodded, then drew the curtains that Jaehyun had failed to notice the existence of. He slid open a glass door and stepped out, closing it with a definitive ‘click’ when he was in the balcony. Yuta maneuvered a whining Sicheng off his lap to draw the curtains close.

“Who’s Ten?” Jaehyun felt like it had been an entire year since he’d heard Taeyong’s voice.

“His boyfriend,” Yuta settled back on the beanbag, and Sicheng happily reclaimed his previous position.

“Seo has a boyfriend?”

“Unexpected, right?” Sicheng agreed with Jaehyun.

“He doesn't say it, but my dad wonders where he went wrong with Johnny.. I wonder if it'll surprise him when I come out,” Yuta sighed, his eyes lost somewhere on the ceiling.

A thoughtful silence passed. They heard a hearty laugh from outside, and it was probably the only time Jaehyun had heard his teacher laugh.

“Should we watch a movie?”

“Sure.”

^^

Sometime into Love, Simon Jaehyun noticed a few things. Seo was still in the balcony, presumably talking to his boyfriend; Sicheng and Yuta were whispering among themselves; and Taeyong was asleep.

Over the course of the film, the couple had migrated from the beanbag to the floor, Yuta laying in Sicheng's lap while the latter played with his hair. The previously abandoned beanbag had become Jaehyun's backrest as he sat cross-legged against it. Taeyong was lying in the ample space between Jaehyun and the other two, creating what oddly seemed like a barrier between them.

Jaehyun turned back to the screen, sadly realising he was the only one invested in Simon's mildly angst-ridden love life. What a shame.

After enduring more of Simon's pre-character-development scenes, he turned to observe his surroundings in favour of the movie. He hadn't heard from a certain twenty-something-year-old in a while, but Johnny was probably okay. Yuta and Sicheng were quietly kissing, so Jaehyun looked away, his gaze falling on Taeyong, who had curled himself up in a cat-like manner, breathing gently from his nose. Jaehyun observed his chest rising and falling with some indescribable urge to cover him with a blanket. He scoffed and averted his eyes, chiding himself for being so creepy.

He returned his attention to the movie, sighing as he absentmindedly wondered when and how the protagonists ended up at a fair. He blinked, only just realising how heavy his eyelids had become. Jaehyun exhaled, then closed his eyes.

^^

“What should we do?”

“Nothing. Let them be.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah.”

Distantly, Jaehyun heard a door close, and the telltale sound of a phone camera clicking.

He sighed softly, then shuffled closer to the warmth he was surrounded by.

By the time Jaehyun gets up, Taeyong has long since left. He'll wonder why he's so warm, and Yuta will snicker, knowing full well who's arms he'd unconsciously slept in. Jaehyun wouldn't remember.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello!! I hope someone's still reading this..  
> please leave a comment, or come talk to me!!  
> [ twt ](https://twitter.com/jaehyunphilic)  
> [ cc ](https://curiouscat.me/whoviee)


	6. Chapter 6

It was a long shot, Jaehyun knew. He was more than relieved when Taeyong did show up, eventually, after a good twenty minutes of him waiting. It was a Sunday night, after all. Maybe Taeyong didn’t have better things to do.

“I wasn’t sure you’d come,” Jaehyun told him, as he sat beside him under the protection of the slide.

“You don’t have high expectations of me, do you?” Taeyong retorted, casually pressing up to Jaehyun’s side.

“Not at all. Who would?”

Taeyong glared, unimpressed, then patted his knee.

“What?”

“The loot.” Taeyong raised his eyebrows suggestively.

“Doyoung’s stopped supplying me.” Helplessly, he shrugged.

“What will we do now?” He got a dramatic whine in response, and then Taeyong draped himself over Jaehyun’s lap.

“What are you doing?” He whined back. He gave a half-hearted attempt at pushing Taeyong off, which backfired, considering he then had two arms wrung tight around his waist. 

Taeyong let out a happy hum and shuffled closer to Jaehyun, while the latter leaned back with a sigh.

“Are you high?” Jaehyun asked after a contemplative silence.

“Nope,” Taeyong popped the ‘p’, “Nothing to get high off.”

“Life?”

His eyebrows shot up. Jaehyun couldn’t see it, but he knew. Maybe Taeyong would shift and look up at him, too. He wouldn’t put in that much effort, Jaehyun reasoned with himself. 

Of course, he was mistaken. Taeyong sat up and pressed his lips against Jaehyun’s, incessant, harshly tugging at his brown locks. Jaehyun responded in kind, pulling Taeyong closer still, with arms that were draped over his shoulders. It was a routine they’d adapted to, Taeyong would initiate, Jaehyun would follow along, like some fucked up give and take. When the heat of their mouths got too much for him, Jaehyun pulled back, eyes closed and breath erratic.

“Wait…” Soft, almost silent. 

When he opened his eyes, he was met with Taeyong’s curious ones, laced with a hint of concern. Somewhere deep down, Jaehyun celebrated that.

“What happened?”

“Why,” He still hadn’t caught his breath. “Why’d you leave me at Yuta’s?”

Taeyong’s eyes narrowed in question, then returned to their usual state. “Was it a problem?”

“Do you not think it was?”

“Not particularly.” Taeyong shrugged, which reminded Jaehyun his arms were still around him. He didn’t move.

“It was.” Jaehyun skipped clarifying it for him.

“Okay. I won’t do it again.” With that, Taeyong leaned in. Jaehyun sighed into the kiss, his mind was occupied elsewhere.

The telltale sign of their inevitable parting was the climax - usually when Taeyong's tongue would slip into Jaehyun's mouth. Forgoing unnecessary exploration, Taeyong would trace over the back of Jaehyun's teeth, something he'd picked up on, and something Jaehyun definitely liked, judging by the low whine he let out. Jaehyun felt Taeyong smirk against his lips, and no, he wasn't gonna let him have this. With some unnecessary force, he bit down on Taeyong's lower lip, which, surprisingly, made him more aggressive. With one hand on Jaehyun's neck and the other cupping one of his cheeks, Taeyong held Jaehyun, tilting his head slightly for a better angle. Fiercely, Jaehyun pulled at Taeyong's t-shirt, and when he moaned into Jaehyun's mouth, they came to a realisation. _They'd never gone this far._

Jaehyun opened his eyes, only to find Taeyong looking right back at him.

“What was that?” He murmured, his lips still pressed against Taeyong's, whose eyes reflected challenge.

“I don't know. You tell me.”

Jaehyun didn't say anything. He nipped at Taeyong's lip again, eliciting no reaction as he still had a testing gaze trained on him. So he continued, sucking on his bottom lip until Taeyong gave in, which didn't take much coaxing.

As Taeyong's demanding gaze diminished, Jaehyun let out a soft, victorious snort. Taeyong shoved his tongue back in Jaehyun's mouth.

Not too long later, Taeyong found himself straddling a very, very flustered Jaehyun. Understandable. Jaehyun’s staccato breaths were beginning to annoy him to no end, and he really just wanted to-

“Did you hear that?”

If Jaehyun was able to string a sentence without panting, he could do much more. Taeyong dived back in. When he tugged at Jaehyun’s lower lip, though, he was met with resistance. He detached himself, then pouted at Jaehyun, who laughed airily before pecking him, short and sweet. Wait. Short and _sw_ -

“Do you seriously not hear that?”

“Huh?”

“Listen.” Jaehyun brought a finger to his lips, his shiny, red, thoroughly-kissed lips, and shushed him.

Somewhere not too far away, a high-pitched cry sounded. Taeyong furrowed his eyebrows and looked down to Jaehyun. “What is it?”

“Let’s find out?” He looked too hopeful for Taeyong to deny him.

^^

“It’s some bitch-ass kitten. I swear to fucking god, Jung Jae-”

“Can you please shut up?”

Taeyong had the audacity to look affronted. Jaehyun glared at him, then softened his gaze as he turned to the miniature feline curled up near a bush.

“Ignore him. He’s really mean.”

“You _bitch_ -”

“Don’t taint the kitten’s innocence!” Jaehyun rushed to correct Taeyong, who replied with an excuse-me-what-the-fuck look.

Jaehyun crouched to be at level with the kitten, who had stopped wailing since their appearance. Curiously, it arose and sniffed the offered hand. Taeyong observed warily, unwilling to admit he found the scene adorable.

“Come say hi,” Jaehyun whispered to him. Taeyong silently kneeled beside him, and the dusty fluff gingerly approached him. Mimicking Jaehyun, he held out his hand, too. The kitten sniffed his fingers, then began licking them. Taeyong felt the coarse tongue of the cat and repressed his giggles, while Jaehyun let out a disbelieving huff.

“Congratulations.” Jaehyun couldn’t bring himself to sound as bitter as he wanted.

Taeyong laughed then, in earnest, and it kind of shook Jaehyun.

“Come here, baby,” He cooed at the kitten, who happily complied by nuzzling against his hand. Jaehyun pouted and looked away, but there was certain fondness to it, something he didn’t want to acknowledge, not today, not tomorrow, not anytime soon.

The kitten was purring, then, and Taeyong laughed again. Not anytime soon, Jaehyun recited.

Not anytime soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> come talk to me!!  
> [ twt ](https://twitter.com/jaehyunphilic)  
> [ cc ](https://curiouscat.me/whoviee)


	7. Chapter 7

There are some things Jaehyun doesn’t want to acknowledge. His father’s absence, his mother’s absence, his absent attitude. There are some things Jaehyun is forced to acknowledge, though. His excuse of a family life, his unhealthy laid-back attitude, and Taeyong’s reaction to the cat. More specifically, the coughing fit that attacked him as soon as he picked the feline up. Naturally, Jaehyun told himself it’s an allergic reaction. So why, pray tell, was Taeyong coughing oh-so-similarly the day before? Jaehyun didn’t want to acknowledge it.

“Are you gonna help me or will you keep staring into space?” Taeyong’s commanding voice broke through his thoughts, and he mutely nodded before taking the kitten from the other’s hands.

“Let’s take her to my place. We can give her a bath or something.”

At no response, Taeyong waved a hand in front of Jaehyun’s face. “Are you listening to me?”

Jaehyun looked lost for a second, then regained his focus. “Yeah, sure.”

As they walked towards Taeyong’s apartment, Jaehyun let his thoughts wander again. “Won’t your mother say anything?”

“I don’t know. Would she?”

It took a second for him to realise Taeyong was being genuine. He let it drop.

^^

Surprisingly, the kitten didn’t put up much of a fight as she was being washed. She was pliant and confused as Taeyong washed dirt off her with warm water, and she snuggled into the hand towel Jaehyun used to dry her with. Not long after, she was asleep on Taeyong’s bed, while the other two sat with their backs against a wall, facing the bed, side by side.

“You really meant it, then,” Jaehyun randomly started.

“Yep.” Taeyong knew exactly what he was referring to. “There are good days and bad days. Currently, it’s a bad week. Honestly, I don’t even know where she is right now.”

Jaehyun absentmindedly nodded, then spoke. “Sometimes my dad goes away for the weekend. There really aren’t many good days.”

“There’s more to this, isn’t there?”

“There aren’t many bad days, either.” Jaehyun’s gaze didn’t stray from the kitten. “There are just... a lot of neutral days. Sometimes he’ll even make dinner for me.”

At this, Taeyong cracked a smile. “That doesn’t sound so bad.”

“It isn’t. I just wish he’d appreciate me sometimes, you know? Tell me he’s proud of me. Shit like that.”

A silence stretched between them. “It feels amazing, doesn’t it? She tells me that on a few good days.”

“Then your good days are better than mine,” Jaehyun sighed. He let his head loll back against the wall, but his movement was disturbed by Taeyong jerking forward.

“Jaehyun. Listen,” He said. “I don’t know what it’s worth, but I’m proud of you.”

A pure, dimpled smile settled on Jaehyun’s face. Taeyong had never quite seen it in its full glory.

“For what it’s worth, I’m proud of you too, Taeyong.”

^^

Sometime later, when the kitten had shifted and slept against Taeyong’s pillow, when the excitement had died down, Taeyong stood up and fetched something from his bedside drawer. He lit in silence, opened his bedroom window slightly, and sat beside Jaehyun again.

“Where-”

Jaehyun was silenced by Taeyong’s finger on his lips.

“Kim Dongyoung.”

“My neighbour?” He sounded oddly shocked.

“Yep. The only difference is that he charges me.”

“Pfft. You deserve it.”

“Fuck off.”

Their giggles dissolved into silence. Taeyong offered the joint to Jaehyun, who gratefully took it. After a few hits, when they were pleasantly in wonderland, Taeyong wound a hand in Jaehyun’s hair.

"Wanna try something.."

Jaehyun didn't respond. He watched as Taeyong took a long drag, held the smoke in, and leaned forward. The hand in his hair urged him closer, and a second later, Jaehyun felt the smoke ghosting against his lips, along with the warmth of Taeyong's exhale. He sighed slightly, then placed his parted lips over Taeyong's. The taste of smoke lingered, and Jaehyun greedily licked into Taeyong's mouth for more of it. A languid kiss later, Taeyong pushed him back and brought the joint to his lips. Taking the hint, Jaehyun took a quick drag and exhaled into Taeyong's mouth, repeating the process. When the smoke had diffused, Taeyong pulled back slightly, left a peck on Jaehyun's lips, and picked up the joint again. Jaehyun ceased the opportunity to climb into his lap, and as soon as the joint left Taeyong's lips, he dived back, chasing the intoxication.

A small meow interrupted their activities. They sprang apart as two like poles of magnets repel. Both breathing heavily, with the kitten still meowing for attention.

“Oh what do you need?” Taeyong hissed at the kitten, who retaliated by meowing louder.

Somewhere beside him, Jaehyun laughed. “She’s probably hungry.”

“Come then,” Taeyong commanded her as he stood up and stretched, his short-lived high had already worn off. Dutifully, the kitten and Jaehyun followed Taeyong to the kitchen. He filled a small plastic bowl with water and placed it on the floor, gently. The kitten hesitantly sniffed it, then began to lap the water in small licks. Jaehyun and Taeyong had akin expressions of amazement on their faces, despite it being such a mundane scene.

Jaehyun was first to break the silence. “What can we feed her?”

“Milk?” Taeyong opened his fridge, ready to check if his milk had expired yet.

“You know I read somewhere that a lot of cats are lactose intolerant-”

“Adult cats. I know,” Taeyong cut him off. Jaehyun blushed, embarrassed.

“Oh, yeah." He looked away.

Taeyong laughed, then filled another plastic bowl with milk. He placed it beside the water bowl, and the kitten immediately began drinking it.

Moments passed, and Jaehyun and Taeyong just stared at her. When she was satisfied with her meal, she sauntered to them and rubbed her head against Taeyong's calf, then lied down and curled herself against his foot.

Taeyong bent down, then scratched her lightly, under her chin. She purred in happiness, which made Jaehyun smile.

They padded back to Taeyong’s room, where the kitten reclaimed her place on Taeyong’s pillow.

The morning saw her leaving the house through Taeyong’s open window, along with two teenage boys tangled in the bed sheets.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry this took a while!!  
> [my twitter](https://twitter.com/jaehyunphilic)  
> [my cc](https://curiouscat.me/whoviee)  
> thank you for reading <33


	8. Chapter 8

“What the fuck are you doing?” Jaehyun hissed to Taeyong, who kept tugging at his sleeve.

Relentless, Taeyong tugged harder, until Jaehyun stumbled slightly from the impact. He followed Taeyong to the park bench he was lead to, away from their annoying class.

“What do you need?” Jaehyun demanded after pulling his sleeve back.

“I’m tired. Sit with me.” Taeyong sat on a bench, and Jaehyun sat beside him.

Jaehyun wasn’t an idiot. He knew what was going on, because it was happening to him, too. It had been two or so weeks since their last meet up, and he’d been feeling unwell since.

“Let this pass. I think we should stop after that.” He told Taeyong, because he trusted him.

“It isn’t that easy, you know. I’ve tried to stop before.”

Jaehyun’s brow furrowed. “How long have you been doing this for?”

“A couple of years. Why are you so surprised?”

“I just… didn’t expect it.” He sat back against the bench, his head tilting back. It took too much effort to keep it upright.

“I’ve known Doyoung longer than you have,” Taeyong mused. “And probably better, too.”

Jaehyun picked up the implications of that. “Sheesh. I didn’t expect you to be such a player.”

“Excuse me?” Taeyong glared back, “What do you take me for?”

“I don’t even know anymore.”

They lapsed into silence, only punctuated by the on-and-off chattering of their classmates. Looking around, all that could be seen was an expanse of green. Who knew field trips would be so boring?

Taeyong leaned on Jaehyun to rest his aching head.

^^

“Taeyong. Jaehyun. Hey, wake up.”

Jaehyun opened his eyes blearily, letting them adjust to the oncoming light. And his English teacher.

“Mr. Seo! Uh, hi,” he sheepishly greeted.

Johnny loomed over them, confusion evident on his features. Thankfully, Jaehyun saw people around, so at least they weren't left behind or anything.

“What's wrong with the both of you?” he tilted his head to the side, developing a questioning angle.

“I.. um,” Jaehyun fumbled. He shrugged, and then belatedly realised Taeyong was still somewhat asleep on him. The tips of his ears gradually turned red.

Johnny sighed. “I'll have the nurse check on you once we reach school. I suspect there's a bug going around.”

“Yeah, that.”

Johnny spared them one last, suspicious look before he trudged back to the larger group of students.

“How come he didn't drag us with him?” Taeyong's sharp words startled Jaehyun.

“I don't know. He’s behaving a bit odd.”

“God, why do you talk like that?”

“Shut up.”

Jaehyun’s ears were still burning red.

^^

“Hey! Nakamoto!”

“The fuck do you want?” Yuta growled, slowing down to a jog. Taeyong had so nicely interrupted him while he was warming up for PE.

“Something's off with your brother-”

“Stepbrother.” Yuta corrected.

“Right, whatever. I think he thinks he can help me.”

Yuta spluttered, halting to a stop. “He what?”

“You know,” Taeyong shrugged. “With my ‘addiction.’”

“Taeyong… That isn’t a bad thing.”

“Come on, Yuta.” He glared. “How long have you known me?”

“Long enough to know you need help.”

“I can’t even talk to you.” Taeyong admonished, before stalking off somewhere. Yuta rolled his eyes.

^^

“Fuck Yuta.”

“I thought you’ve already done that,” Jaehyun said. He earned a glare and a shoulder-shove from Taeyong.

They were back in business, behind the red slide, joints in hand.

“I know Seo’s intentions. He’s… readable, you know?” Taeyong emphasised, waving his joint around.

Clear confusion settled on Jaehyun’s features. “What does that have to do with anything?”

“He has this whole,”Taeyong paused to take a drag. He exhaled slowly, then spoke. “This whole ‘I wanna save the world’ persona… think he can help people like us, or well, me.”

“Why not me?”

“You,” He jabbed a finger at Jaehyun, “You can still-” He gestured around vaguely, looking for a word. “Improve! Yes, you can still improve.”

“What’s so different about you?” Jaehyun questioned, pleasantly floating above reality.

“Me? I’m like...corrupted, you know? Corrupted for life, Jaehyun. You can’t ‘correct’ me or whatever the fuck you’re thinking.” He spoke with a strange sense of clarity. “It takes me longer to get high these days, you know.”

“That means something,” Jaehyun was in deep contemplation. “Something about… addiction or some shit.”

“Hmm, yeah. Means I’m developing a tolerance to this shit.” Taeyong took another drag.

“Well, that’s not good.”

They stared off into the distance.

“You know, I still have that sheet you gave me.” Taeyong said.

“What sheet?”

“The one with all those philosophers you wanted to know about, remember?”

“Kind of…” Jaehyun trailed off, creating the picture of a addled kitten, much like the one they met.

“Remember? You saw me in the library that day. I was reading that ugly yellow book about philosophy,” Taeyong prodded.

“Oh yeah! My dad mentioned he liked philosophy, I thought I’d talk to him about it or something.” Enthusiastic, Jaehyun responded.

“Huh. You never told me why you wanted to know about all those prehistoric idiots.”

“Yeah…” He dismissed. “Do you want this?”

“It’s very unlike you to offer me your joint-”

“Just take it.”

Taeyong took it from him.

“My dad asked me how I was yesterday.”

Taeyong stopped and watched Jaehyun look up at the polluted sky. There wasn’t a single star in sight. When the silence became unbearable, he spoke.

“That’s nice. What did you say?”

“I told him I was okay. He said that’s good and that I should stay okay.”

“Okay,” Taeyong drew it out, encouraging Jaehyun to continue.

“He thinks I’m doing well in school.”

“You are, aren’t you?”

“I’m better than average,” Jaehyun said decisively.

“That’s good enough, isn’t it?” Taeyong tore his gaze away from Jaehyun to look at the view he was so intently staring at.

“I suppose.”

It was beautiful in its own hellish way. Like a blanket of toxicity protecting them from all harm, their imperfect, adulterated sky.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey!! I'm back. I hope you're all enjoying this fic <3


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello! welcome to another chapter, I hope you're enjoying <3

It was a Tuesday when Jaehyun made his decision. He trotted up to Taeyong with confidence in his step and in his features, and delicately plopped himself beside him. They weren't behind the slide this time. The weather had been taking a turn for the humid, and it's only so much teenagers can develop a resistance to.

“I've decided to stop,” he said, in all his enthusiasm and naiveness.

Taeyong let out a hollow laugh. When he noticed Jaehyun's unwavering expression, he burst into giggles again. “You think it's that easy? I would've given up ages ago.”

“Don't underestimate me.” Jaehyun whined, an indignant edge to his voice.

“Don't overestimate yourself,” Taeyong retorted. He shook his head in dismissal and pulled a joint from his pocket. After leaning back on the grass and supporting himself up with his elbows, he spoke. “If you’re so eager, let's see how well you do.”

Jaehyun turned his head and met his eyes with a challenge.

Purposely, Taeyong took a long, slow drag. He let his eyes roll back in exaggerated movement, accompanying it with a sigh of pleasure. When he opened his eyes, Jaehyun's gaze was glued resolutely away from. He smirked.

“Are you sure about your choice?” He asked, after another stretched-out drag.

“I am.”

“Like, one hundred percent?”

“Yes, one hundred percent.”

“In an I-swear-to-god kind of way?”

“Absolutely.”

“Huh, you're not as weak as I thought, are you?” Taeyong pushed himself to sit in front of Jaehyun. “That's pretty impressive.”

Jaehyun couldn't judge anything from Taeyong's tone, so he looked up to read his hazy eyes. “Do you mean that?”

“Up to you.” Taeyong shrugged.

Jaehyun looked away again. He brought his knees up to his chest and laid his head on them before gently massaging it over his knees.

“I think my dad's trying to get better.” He said suddenly.

“You think?”

“Hmm.” Jaehyun affirmed. “I saw him paying the bills yesterday.”

“Does he not usually do that?” Taeyong asked, genuinely.

“He does, but he's doing it on time for once. I have a feeling he got a promotion or something.”

Taeyong nodded along. “That's good.”

“Yep. How are things at home?”

“Same old, same old.”

“And how's Yuta?”

Taeyong elbowed him in the ribs. Jaehyun laughed, open and uninhibited.

“You know,” Taeyong started after a short break of silence. “I don't think shotgunning technically counts as adultery.”

“Really?” Jaehyun asked with fake inquisitiveness.

“I mean, you aren’t exactly ingesting it… it’s more like a second-hand thing, you know?” Taeyong answered.

“Yeah, nope. No, thank you.” Jaehyun gave him a short smile. “I’ll pass.”

“God, just shut up and kiss me.”

So he did.

^^

Jaehyun slept through English the next day. Two desks away from Taeyong, Jaehyun had half his torso across the table he was sat at. A school sweatshirt was crumped under his folded hands, atop which he rested his head, turned to the side. Usually, Johnny would have some choice words to say, but that day he kept mum. Of course, this was picked up on by Taeyong, who had been singled out one too many times for dozing off in English.

Johnny dismissed them five minutes early. He sat at the teacher’s desk as chaos unfolded throughout the classroom.

Taeyong stood and walked over to Jaehyun’s desk before kneeling beside him. He patted Jaehyun’s head, to which Jaehyun twitched, then reverted to sleep. Taeyong sighed impatiently.

“Jaehyun,” He called softly.

No response.

“Jaehyun,” Taeyong stretched it out.

Jaehyun blinked his eyes open. “What?”

“Get up. Class is over.”

Jaehyun straightened his neck and it cracked. He rubbed his eyes before sitting up and stretching his arms. Taeyong got up from where he was and observed Johnny out of the corner of his eye. He was looking at them.

“What did we have?” Jaehyun asked idily.

“English,” Taeyong replied.

“Huh.”

“I’m just- I’ll be back,” Taeyong said as Johnny gathered his things and rose from his chair.

“Mr. Seo!” Taeyong called after him as he was leaving the class.

Johnny turned around abruptly. “Since when have you taken to calling me ‘Mr. Seo?’”

“Sorry, sir,” Taeyong mocked. Johnny’s eyebrow shot up. “But I couldn’t help but notice you let Jaehyun sleep through class while I always, undoubtedly, get scolded for doing so.”

“He’s recovering. You don’t want to hinder that, Taeyong,” He explained calmly. “Now if I’m excused, I have a class to get to.”

Taeyong stared after him. _What the fuck?_

He walked back to class, distracted.

^^

“Yuta. Hey, Yuta, listen to me,” Taeyong hissed.

Yuta looked up from his phone. He was sprawled over his bed while Taeyong sat at his swiveling chair. “Yeah?”

“What does Seo know about me? Have you told him anything?”

“No, not really.” Yuta shrugged. He glanced back at his phone and picked it up in a flourish when he saw a notification.

“Think, Yuta. You guys talk and shit, are you sure you haven’t said anything?” Taeyong prodded. Yuta didn’t acknowledge him. “Yuta,” Taeyong whined.

“What?” Yuta whined back, eyes still glued to his phone.

“Are you sure you didn’t tell Seo anything?” Taeyong iterated.

“Hm, yeah, I’m sure.”

He huffed, unsatisfied. Seo wasn’t _that_ perceptive, was he?

^^

Some ten years ago, Johnny picked up a joint. He left soon after, but his father didn’t. His father picked up much more after that, and Johnny ran away from home with his mother. They ran, left home, left everything behind. Some ten years ago, Johnny decided he couldn’t watch people waste away.

He doesn’t know Jaehyun aside from the classroom, but he’d be an idiot to not pick up on the implications. He knew what a fledging addict looked like. He knew he had to nip it in the bud.

It was lunch time last Friday when he asked Jaehyun to stay back in class for a minute. Jaehyun did, and Johnny broke it down for him.

_I don’t want to meddle, but I think we both know this is harmful for you._

Jaehyun knew.

_It’s going to be hard, Jaehyun._

Jaehyun knew that, too.

_But you can power through._

Johnny hoped he could.


	10. Chapter 10

Jaehyun stayed at home the next day. Taeyong passed by their spot during PE, contemplated sitting there, but decided not to. He holed himself in the library with a book and a water bottle, and didn't leave until lunch.

On the way home, he took a detour.

^^

Jaehyun answered the door, head heavy and his nose an angry pink.

“What the fuck happened to you?”

“'M sick,” Jaehyun croaked out. He opened the door wide enough for Taeyong to enter, then closed it shut once he came in.

Taeyong had only been to Jaehyun's place once, and that was to pick him up. He'd never been inside. He took off his shoes and pushed them to a corner, all while taking in the view of a messy dining room and a lounge with an old excuse of a couch. A table was pushed up in the corner and a glass bowl was filled to the brim with bills. Taeyong looked away.

“Come,” Jaehyun instructed. They walked down the hallway to his room.

It was minimal - by choice or by circumstance, Taeyong didn’t know. A single bed on one side with a desk and a bookcase opposite it. No posters, not even a wall clock. His observance was cut short by Jaehyun throwing himself on his bed, grabbing a tissue on the way to clear his nose.

Silently, Taeyong shut the door behind himself and took a seat on Jaehyun’s bed. Jaehyun made space for him, but Taeyong didn’t budge. After a moment of silence, he spoke up.

“What happened in school today?”

“Same old, same old. We did some new graphical equations in maths, though.”

“And English?”

Taeyong turned sharply.

“Why do you care?”

“Am I-” Jaehyun heaved out a cough. “Am I not allowed to be concerned about my education?”

“Shut up. This is something else.” _You know it, Jaehyun._

“Uh, no?” Jaehyun mustered the fiercest ‘are-you-serious’ glare he could with his eyes bloodshot and puffy.

“You look like that kitten,” Taeyong blurted out before he could stop himself.

“What the fuck,” Jaehyun flatly muttered. “What the fuck are you talking about?”

“Remember? The one we took to my place and fed?” And suddenly, Taeyong had forgotten about whatever he planned interrogating Jaehyun on.

Jaehyun nodded his head. His eyes were half-lidded and red-rimmed, and Taeyong felt a surge of sympathy for him. His overthinking skills worked in overdrive.

“Do you- do you want to be left alone?” He asked precariously.

“No,” Jaehyun managed. “Please, no.”

A switch flipped.

Taeyong took off his uniform blazer and loosened his tie before sliding into bed beside Jaehyun. If he remembered correctly, much like the day with the kitten. Jaehyun burrowed in Taeyong’s side, taking in all the warmth he could get, even though he was burning up himself. Taeyong only welcomed him, too overwhelmed and confused by the bubbling in his chest.

Time passed, Jaehyun’s breathing evened out, and even if his mouth was hanging open, he looked at ease. Taeyong had since migrated to sitting higher up against the headboard, Jaehyun’s torso cushioned somewhere over his lap. He was idly running his fingers through Jaehyun’s damp hair when he heard the click of the front door. A key being turned in a lock, the door opening, then closing. Taeyong fumbled for Jaehyun’s phone and found it under a pile of worksheets on his bedside table. It was just past five, so who-

Oh, yeah. Jaehyun’s father.

He conjured up a few excuses as to why he was there and what could have possibly lead them into the slightly compromising position they were in, but no one ever came.

Taeyong sat, and Taeyong thought.

Was Jaehyun really going to follow through with this? Of course he was. He was stubborn like that.

Useless train of thought.

Was he destined to go down the same path? No. He didn't think so.

Unfruitful train of thought.

Taeyong sighed, still tense. He contemplated going home, a tumultuous I've overstayed my welcome and _He needs me here._ So he sighed once again, changed his pattern of combing through Jaehyun's hair, and relaxed against the headboard.

Back up. _He needs me here?_ His eyes widened at their own accord.

No, no, no. Dangerous train of thought. He shook himself off it.

Taeyong's fingers itched for something. Deciding their presence in Jaehyun's hair could be fatal for the poor strands, he retracted his hand. Then, deciding his current predicament was unfit for Jaehyun, he carefully slid off the bed.

This was safe territory. He picked up his blazer and collected his school bag before sparing Jaehyun one last look. Curled in his cartoon-themed sheets, he looked oddly angelic.

Taeyong clicked the door shut behind him and tip-toed to the front door. If he wasn't mistaken, the load on the glass bowl had been eased.

At least one of them was getting better.

^^

He took his time walking home. No one was expecting him, and nor was he expecting anyone to.

He'd been rather unpleasantly surprised when he came face-to-face with his mother as soon as he walked in.

_Isn't this extraordinary?_ He mused to himself. _First Jaehyun's father, and now her._

“Where have you been?” She demanded. Taeyong wanted to scoff.

_Why do you care?_ “At a friend's house.”

“Okay. Tell me before you go next time.”

With that, she left Taeyong, staring at her shadow. He felt peculiar.

Taeyong felt a familiar morsel of hope pulling at his heart, much like those of the good days, but he trampled it down. He knew something else was going on.

“Who's visiting?” He called to his mother.

“Your aunt,” she replied. “Why?”

_I'm the only one you're willing to expose yourself to_. “No reason.” _Not even your own sister._

If she wondered how he found out, she didn't ask.

Taeyong settled himself in his room, distraught and not sure why.

He found himself at his bedside cabinet, fingers latching onto a cylindrical _something._ He stopped himself. If his aunt was visiting, then she would undoubtedly bring her nosy persona along. Taeyong couldn't take any risks.

Instead, he took out a graph book and his maths textbook.

By dinnertime, he'd finished four exercises.


	11. Chapter 11

“And that’s how you should end your persuasive essay. All clear?”

The class hummed in monotonous agreement. A stray _Yes, sir!_ resounded through the classroom, and while it didn’t disturb the balance of the class, it certainly made Johnny smile.

“Okay, you can scram for lunch.”

Organised chaos spread through the room as caffeine-driven teenagers either sprinted out of class or lugged their way. Taeyong stopped Jaehyun with a hand on his wrist.

“Yeah?” Jaehyun asked, caught on his way to the lockers at the back of class where he was going to leave his books.

“Just… I had a question.” Taeyong tugged on his wrist again, and Jaehyun dropped his books on a nearby desk.

“What’s up?”

“I wanted to ask-”

“When I said scram, I meant it, you gremlins.” Johnny called. He had just collected all things and was standing at the doorway. “Get out.” He gestured out the door with his free hand.

Taeyong let go of Jaehyun’s wrist. He quickly put his books away, and they left the class.

“And you better eat!” Johnny said. “God knows you unhealthy children need it.”

Once he was out of earshot, Taeyong stopped Jaehyun again.

“I need your help,” He whispered into his ear.

“Why are you whispering?” Jaehyun asked, tilting his head slightly. And _oh_ , that wasn’t a good idea. Strands of Taeyong’s hair brushed against his forehead, and his eyes bore into Jaehyun’s. He gulped.

“Do you have a problem?” Taeyong maintained his tone. Jaehyun knew that Taeyong knew what he was doing, and that it was greatly working in his favour.

“No,” Jaehyun managed.

“Good.” Taeyong pulled back. He still had a solid grip on Jaehyun’s wrist, and used it to whisk him away.

“We better be going to lunch, Taeyong,” Jaehyun said, as he followed Taeyong down the stairs.

“What?”

“I’m serious,” He insisted. Taeyong stopped to look up at him. “I’m hungry, let’s go eat.”

“Jaehyun,” Taeyong began, in a placating tone. “I need your help.”

“We can talk over lunch.” Jaehyun hurriedly supplied. “Please. You have to eat.”

Taeyong ended up giving in. He set foot in the dining hall he hadn’t entered for who knows how long, and awkwardly followed Jaehyun around.

They found a corner table to sit at with their trays of food.

“So what’s up?” Jaehyun asked.

Taeyong thought it over for a minute. “It's slightly complicated, but I'll explain as we go along.”

Jaehyun nodded enthusiastically, his mouth full of rice. There were hints of dimples on his face, and Taeyong felt a smile twitching at his lips.

“My mother's sister, my aunt, lives abroad,” He began. “She isn't really close to the family - she's rather idealistic and all, and her home was constraining for her, I suppose. She went to university abroad, too. Came back for a couple of years, worked a bit, and moved again. I don't know her very well.”

Jaehyun stopped him for a second. “Eat something. We only have twenty minutes for lunch.” Taeyong wanted to protest, but he knew Jaehyun would nag.

Taking a bite of his food, he continued. “Anyway, she's coming to visit soon. Now, the last time this happened, I was probably… eleven? Ten? I'm not sure. But I remember what she told my mother.”

“She never approved of how my mother raised me. During my parents' divorce, she took care of me. Taught me a lot, about empathy and honesty and positivity and all that shit. And after the whole ordeal, she left. That's when I last saw her, but she calls every now and then. Once she called when my mother wasn't home, it wasn't a very good day, neither of us were doing well. So I told her that her sister wasn't home, and we left it at that.”

Jaehyun hummed, sign for Taeyong to continue.

“She started calling frequently after that, and when I told her about my mother's absence for a third time, she wasn't happy. I remember by chance she called on a good day. She spent hours on the phone, educating my mother about attention and support and whatnot a child requires. My mother went out drinking that night. When she came back, she was drunk as hell and I had to sleep in her room. She refused to let me out of her sight, because my aunt had told her she'd take me away.”

Taeyong inhaled deeply, and took another mouthful of rice.

“She stopped calling for a while after that, and my mother came to her senses for a bit. This was last year. She called a couple of months back, and… it didn't go down well. She's coming soon, and I need to stop.”

Jaehyun stared at his empty plate of food as he took it all in. Taeyong had been morbidly detached through it all, but emotion was palpable in his eyes.

“You need my help to… stop?”

“Yeah, basically.”

“Taeyong, I guess it's different for everyone, but I haven't been doing this for as long as you have. I really don't know how I can help,” Jaehyun said. He bit his lip in thought for a second. “For me, I didn't rely on smoking. I exercise, and it doesn't always work, but it's a good enough outlet.”

“I know,” Taeyong sighed. “It's just… you had some motivational factors too, right? Like your father getting better -” Jaehyun stiffened, “- and Seo? I'm pretty sure he helped in some way or the other.”

“I- My father isn't as put-together as I make it sound. I think his job is more stable, but it doesn't change how often he's… absent,” Jaehyun confessed.

“What happened, then?”

“I already knew it was harmful for me, as I'm sure you know, too, and Seo kind of just… enforced it? I don't know what he did. He talked, and it was very convincing, and I made a decision. Bottom line is, you're the one who has to do these things. No one can do them for you.”

“I get that Jaehyun, but won't you help me?”

“I will. If anything, I'll help you.” After a second: “And I mean it, Taeyong. You're- you're really important to me.” He omitted softly.

Taeyong smiled, uninhibited and wide. “Jung Jaehyun,” he said, shaking his head. “You're too cute for your own good.”

This time, when Jaehyun felt something hard tug at his heart, he didn't suppress it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello! this'll be the last update in about a month, I have exams coming up.

**Author's Note:**

> I'd love to know what you think in the comments!!


End file.
